Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40504239›Full record

ArticleEuropean spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society2025

Validity and accuracy of swespine data on surgery for central lumbar spinal stenosis and lumbar disc herniation: a cohort study of 796 patients.

Gustav Wegdell, Abdulrahman Albarni, Josefin Åkerstedt, Peter Endler, Paul Gerdhem, Anders Själander, Sebastian Mukka, Björn Knutsson

Abstract readValidation Study
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Trial
  3. Impact of obesity on patient-reported outcome measures and complications following anterior cervical surgery for cervical spondylosis: A cohort study Of 7,993 patients.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2026
    Article
  4. Predictors of survival and functional outcomes after spinal surgery for multiple myeloma: a nationwide study of 200 patients.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2026
    Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Risk for clinical venous thromboembolism and major bleeding after surgery for lumbar spinal stenosis: a retrospective matched register-based cohort study with 462,533 individuals.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2026
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Gustav WegdellDepartment of Diagnostics and Intervention, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden. gustav.wegdell@umu.se.
Abdulrahman AlbarniDepartment of Diagnostics and Intervention, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
Josefin ÅkerstedtDepartment of Diagnostics and Intervention, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
Peter EndlerRKC Spine Center, Södra Fiskartorpsvägen 15H, 11433 Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden.
Paul GerdhemDepartment of Surgical Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
Anders SjälanderDepartment of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
Sebastian MukkaDepartment of Diagnostics and Intervention, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
Björn KnutssonDepartment of Diagnostics and Intervention, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeTo validate the Swedish National Spine Registry (Swespine) for diagnostic accuracy and documentation of surgical procedures for central lumbar spinal stenosis (CLSS) and lumbar disc herniation (LDH), including an analysis of preoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Additionally, this study evaluates the accuracy and completeness of perioperative data and documented complications.

methodsOf 41,312 patients registered in Swespine for CLSS or LDH between January 2017 and December 2022, 800 were randomly selected from four hospitals. The electronic patient records were used as the gold standard. Radiological criteria for CLSS and LDH were established through a review of MRI scans.

resultsThe proportion of correctly classified diagnoses (PCC) was 98.5% for CLSS and 99.2% for LDH, while the PCC of the type of surgery was 99.7% and 98.5% in the CLSS and LDH cohorts, respectively. Preoperative MRI analysis showed that 94.2% of patients undergoing CLSS surgery at the narrowest spinal level were classified as Schizas C or D, with a mean cross-sectional area of 44.2 mm². In comparison, 85.0% of patients who underwent LDH surgery were classified with Pfirrman grade 3.

conclusionSwespine demonstrated high accuracy and completeness in diagnosing and surgically treating CLSS and LDH patients, as corroborated by preoperative MRI assessments. Most perioperative data, including complications, demonstrated acceptable to excellent registration. Improvements are recommended in the documentation of the American Society of Anaesthesiologists classification, patient weight and height, smoking status, use of implants and bone grafts, date of discharge, use of thromboprophylaxis, and previous surgeries.

Indexed as

Intervertebral Disc DisplacementLumbar VertebraeRegistriesSpinal StenosisAdultAgedCohort StudiesFemaleHumansMagnetic Resonance ImagingMaleMiddle AgedSwedenAccuracyLumbar disc herniationLumbar spinal stenosisSwespineValidity

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.